Hematologic Safety of Siltuximab: A Meta-analysis of Randomized
Controlled Trials and a Pharmacovigilance Study of the Food and Drug
Administration Adverse Event Reporting System Database
Abstract
Introduction:Siltuximab is a monoclonal antibody approved by the US
Food and Drug Administration for interleukin-6 (IL-6). Numerous
preclinical and clinical studies have revealed the pathological role of
the IL-6 pathway in inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. The
drug was approved in 2014 for the treatment of multicentric Castleman’s
disease (MCD) and currently has a wide range of applications in the
treatment of hematologic diseases. However, no previous studies have
evaluated the safety of this drug in the treatment of hematologic
disorders, and therefore the present study primarily reassessed the
hematologic safety of this drug. Method:PubMed, EMBASE, and
ClinicalTrials.gov were searched per the Preferred Reporting Items for
Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses statements for safety assessment
while real-world pharmacovigilance data were mined via OpenVigil.
Result:In all, four RCTs with 589 pooled patients were included. The
safety evaluation revealed that treatment with siltuximab was associated
with a propensity for thrombocytopenia (odds ratio [OR]: 1.67; 95%
confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-2.40; p < 0.01), while the
incidences of anemia and neutropenia were not significant. Regarding the
analysis of real-world pharmacovigilance databases, siltuximab use was
associated with a significant proclivity for anemia, neutropenia, and
thrombocytopenia. Conclusion: The findings indicate that siltuximab is
associated with a relatively high risk of anemia, neutropenia, and
thrombocytopenia. Both clinicians and patients should exercise caution
regarding these potential adverse events and make wise decisions.